H.S. Boys Cross-Country: Ridgewood's David Frering signs to run at Bucknell

Ridgewood High School senior David Frering signs his letter of intent on Nov. 21 to continue his running career at Bucknell University. Seated next to Frering is his mother, Diana. In the back is RHS Principal Dr. Tom Gorman.

RIDGEWOOD — David Frering is a three-season varsity runner at Ridgewood High School. So, the senior figured, why not try to do the same thing at the next level?

The Maroon distance standout discussed his plans to compete in cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. during RHS National Letter of Intent Media Day on Nov. 21.

Frering is a two-time selection to The Ridgewood News All-Suburban boys cross-country second team. If the All-Suburban spring track and field squads included a 4-x-800-meter relay, he would have been a surefire 2013 first-teamer in that category.

Ridgewood set a new Bergen County record in the event at New Balance Outdoor Nationals last June, with the 6-foot-2 harrier running a 1:55.17 split. He combined with Michael Thurston and brothers Luke and Storm Dublirer for a time of 7:44.30, breaking the old mark by nearly a full second.

That success carried over onto the cross-country trail in the fall. Frering won the opening dual-meet race of the season in a personal-record 16:06 at Mahwah’s Darlington Park.

He went on to post three 11th-place finishes, clocking 16:11 at the Bergen County Group A meet to emerge as the Maroons’ No. 2 runner and later logging a Garret Mountain-best 17:08 to help them win a fourth straight North 1, Group 4 sectional championship.

The latter meet provided a much-needed lift after RHS wound up a disappointing fourth at the Bergen Meet of Champions (BMOC).

"Sectionals was awesome. We had a pretty rough race the week before at BMOC, so we really wanted to come back," Frering said at Media Day, 12 days after the North 1, Group 4 meet. "Our team has been pretty much of a pack the whole season… and that race, I think we had six guys in the top 15 or so, and like our coach [Mike Glynn] said, that’s hard to beat."

More recently, Frering teamed with Thurston, Luke Dublirer and Brian Collins to win the indoor 4-x-800 championship in 8:01.53 at the Yale Classic in New Haven, Conn. two weekends ago The grouping qualified to compete at the Penn Relays.

The Bucknell track and field program picked up a pair of wins last weekend at the Gulden Invitational. The host Bison finished first in both the seven-team men’s field and nine-team women’s field, thanks in part to several North Jersey alums.

Frering won’t be the first Maroon track and field athlete to take his craft to Bucknell. Steven Pierce, who won the state javelin title as an RHS senior in 2006, went on to become a Patriot League champ with the Bison and ranks No. 4 on their all-time javelin list at 225 feet, 1 inch.

As of Media Day, Frering was undecided on his course of studies going forward, but said, "I might transfer into [Bucknell’s] school of management. I’m really interested in business."